FEEJEE ISLANDS. 31 
that it was only by great exertions that she 
could be kept afloat. 
On the 5th, continuing their course to the 
north-west, they saw and passed a cluster of 
islands. Hitherto they had not been able to 
keep any other account than by guess ; but 
they had now succeeded in getting a log-line 
marked, and by a little practice some could 
count the seconds with a tolerable degree of 
exactness. The helpless and confined state 
in which they were, induced Mr. Bligh to 
put his crew to watch and watch, so that one 
half might be on the look-out, while the 
others lay down in the boat's bottom, or upon 
a chest. Even this gave but a trifling allevia- 
tion to their sufferings. Being exposed to con- 
stant wet and cold, and not having room to 
stretch their limbs, they became often so 
dreadfully cramped as to be incapable of 
moving them. 
On the 7th another group of islands was 
seen, from whence they observed two large 
canoes in pursuit of them, one of which, at 
four o'clock in the afternoon, had arrived 
within two miles of the boat, when the 
savages gave up the chase, and returned to 
